crane load falls and crushes supervisor....

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted incidents involving overhead cranes. Here is a story from 2017 where a company was held accountable for a fatal incident.

An Asian aluminium company was in fined € 4130 in September 2018 by a government court for failing to provide a safe working system for the handling of machinery which resulted in a crane carrying two steel shelves to fall and crush its supervisor.

The judge handed down the sentence after the company, represented by its security and health officer pleaded guilty to the charge.

The judge said the company, as the employer, had failed to ensure the safety, health and welfare, while at work, of all its employees, including the victim, a packing supervisor.

The mishap occurred at its factory in early 2017. The charge, under Section 15(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and punishable under Section 19 of the same act, carries a fine not exceeding € 10,300 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.

According to the facts of the case, the deceased was supervising the lifting work of the iron shelves using an overhead travelling crane when suddenly the shelves fell off and crushed him to death. The victim sustained head and body injuries.

In mitigation, the company said it had improved safety measures at the factory following the incident and paid compensation of € 6,200 to the victim's family.

Department of Occupational Safety and Health prosecuting officer urged the court to mete out suitable punishment as the company had failed to comply with safety procedures.

We pray for the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers on their loss. We pray that they remember the family member, friend, and coworker for how he lived and not as he died.

Most incidents that involve supervisors occur when the supervisor feels that a specific procedure is so dangerous that they do not trust their own workers and perform the function themselves. All too often the supervisor is killed. As we have told hundreds of supervisors around the globe. That if you feel that a procedure is so dangerous that only you (the supervisor) can do it. Is WRONG. If it is too dangerous for your worker, it is too dangerous for YOU!. We hope that a supervisor reads this post and remembers it.

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